Amusement device simulating a guitar containing a concealed weapon

ABSTRACT

An amusement device in the form of a play guitar having a toy gun concealed behind a hinged door in a compartment located in the sound box portion of the instrument in combination with a quick-release mechanical linkage, actuated by a pushbutton located on the neck of the instrument, for springing the door and thrusting the toy weapon outward into a position where it may be readily drawn for use.

United States Patent Inventors Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignce Johnny Desmond Great Neck, N.Y.;

Thomas S. LoDuca, West Allis, Wis. 862,273

Sept. 30, 1969 June 29, 1971 said Desmond, by said LoDuca Division of Ser. No. 662.378. Aug. 22. 1967. Pat. No. $524377.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE SIMULATING A GUITAR CONTAINING A CONCEALED WEAPON 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

u.s.c| .l 46/175,

86/267 Int.Cl igqg l s /gg Field search 46/174- [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,081,084 3/1963 Glass et al 46/176 X 3,267,600 8/1966 Ryan 46/176 X 3,524,377 8/1970 Desmond t. 84/329 X Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting AttorneyDaniel P. Chernoff ABSTRACT: An amusement device in the form of a play guitar having a toy gun concealed behind a hinged door in a compartment located in the sound box portion of the instrument in combination with a quick-release mechanical linkage, actuated by a pushbutton located on the neck of the instrument, for springing the door and thrusting the toy weapon outward into a position where it may be readily drawn for use.

PATENTED JUN29 I971 SHiET 1 SF 4 PATENTEU JUNZS m:

SHEET 3 BF 4 PATENTEU JUN29 I97;

SHEET 5 [1F 4 AMUSEMENT DEVICE SIMULATING A GUITAR CONTAINING A CONCEALED WEAPON CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a division of a pending application of the same inventors, Ser. No. 662,378, filed Aug. 22, 1967, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,377, Aug. 18, I970.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an amusement device in the form of a play guitar, or other stringed musical instrument of the same general type, having concealed therein a simulated small weapon, such as a toy pistol or a knife, which through the actuation of a quick-release mechanical linkage, is delivered into a position ready for instant use. The concealed-weapon-in-a-guitar design finds useful application as a special-effects prop in a western-type television series or motion picture, and also as a toy item for the entertainment and amusement ofchildren.

It is known from the prior art to conceal or disguise a gun or similar weapon in various innocuous articles normally or frequently carried on the body of a person such as, for example, a belt buckle (Ryan US. Pat. No. 3,026,642), a watch (Woods US. Pat. No. 1,073,312), or a simulated camera (Ryan US. Pat. No. 3,267,600). However, the present invention is believed to be the first to embody the combination of a gun or other hand-held weapon in a musical instrument.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the illustrative embodiment of the invention hereinafter described in detail, the simulated weapon, exemplarily in the form of a toy pistol, is carried in a compartment located within the sound box portion of a play guitar and is concealed from view behind a camouflaged door on the facing portion of the instrument. A pushbutton is located on the neck of the instrument proximate to the position of the left hand when the strings of the guitar are being fingered in the normal playing of the instrument. Upon the pressing of the button, a mechanical mechanism springs open the door and with high speed propels the gun out in front of the guitar and into a position where it is directly accessible to the right hand when the instrument is held in the natural position for strumming. The release action is exceedingly fast, and the weapon is presented in a position where it may be drawn from its holster with a speed comparable to that of a gun conventionally carried on a holster strapped around the waist.

As the stowage and release mechanism for the gun is entirely mechanical, with no electrical or electromechanical parts, the present design has the added advantage of authenticity, since it would be entirely practicable for such a combination to have been devised with the parts and tools available 100 years ago during the days of the Old West.

The foregoing, and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front view of a play guitar instrument, as modified by the present invention to carry a concealed toy weapon.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same guitar instrument after the quick-release mechanism has been actuated and the toy weapon is delivered into a position ready for use.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the guitar instrument shown in the modeof FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, somewhat foreshortened, of the quick-release mechanism for stowing and releasing the weapon which is concealed inside the guitar instrument.

FIG. 5 is a detailed plan view of the quick-release mechanism in a folded position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring initially to 'FIGS. 13 of the drawings, there is shown a stringed musical instrument in the form of a guitar of ordinary design outfitted with a concealed gun and a quickrelease mechanism in accordance with the present invention. As conventional, the guitar principally comprises a sound box portion 12 and a neck or T-bar. portion 14. A hinged door 18 on the lower portion of the sound box is camouflaged to blend into the ornate surface decoration typical of such instruments and conceals a storage compartment 19 in which is stowed a pistol 20. The quick-release mechanism for the gun (not shown in these Figures but described in detail later herein) is controlled by a pushbutton 22 located on the remote end of the guitar neck, at a position near the pegs where the left-hand thumb would rest in the natural fingering of the instrument. Actuation of the push button 22 releases the catch 1811 on the door 18 from the latch 19a on the guitar sound box permitting the door to drop open and at the same time the gun 19 is rapidly thrust outward in front of the instrument into the posi tion shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The gun is thus presented in a position where it may be readily drawn by a short motion of the right hand as it strums the guitar strings.

FIGS. 4-8 illustrate in detail the construction and opera tion of the quick-release mechanism for stowing and presenting the weapon.

The gun 20 is carried within a holster or sheath 21 mounted on a six-link assembly, designated generally as 35, which is secured to the back wall of the compartment 19 provided in the sound box portion 12 of the instrument.

The mechanism 35 is comprised of a spring-loaded regularhexagonal-shaped hinged assembly comprised of a fixed back plate 37, a front plate 39, a pair of left-hand side plates 40a, 40b and a corresponding pair of right-hand side plates 41a, 4lb-a six-link assembly which permits compact folding and extension of the front plate parallel to the fixed back plate. A pair of hinged bottom flanges 43a, 43b are provided to strengthen the assembly. Torsional springs 45, 47 and 49, connecting respectively left-hand side plates 40a, 40b; right-hand side plates 41a, 41b; and bottom flanges 43a, 4312; provide a spring bias to the mechanism 35 which urges it outward toward the extended position shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. For stowing of the holster and gun within the compartment provided in the sound box of the guitar, the mechanism 35 is compressed to the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, and is held in place by the latching member 48 which bears against the upper edge of the front flange plate 39.

FIG. 4 shows the mechanical linkage, controlled by the push button 22, for releasing the mechanism 35 and simultaneously unlatching the hinged door 18 which conceals the sound box compartment 19 in which the weapon :is stowed. A downward pressing of the push button 22, in the direction indicated by the arrow a, moves the caming rod 220 in the slot 55a formed in plate 55 to cause a long extension 57c of pull rod 57 in the neck of the guitar to move longitudinally in the direction of the arrow b (i.e., toward the neck end of the guitar as represented in FIG. 3).

By virtue of the angular segments 57b and 57c of the pull rod 57 and the rotary bearing support 61a provided by the fixed plate 61, the longitudinal motion of the extension 57a of the pull rod is converted into a clockwise rotation at segment 57d, as indicated by the arrow c. The clockwise motion of the segment 57d causes the extension 57a of the pull rod 57 to thrust, in the direction shown by the arrow d, against a springbiased extension 63a of a swivel rod 63. The thrust caused by the pull rod 57 produces a counterclockwise motion, as indicated by the arrow e, of the swivel rod 63 which is supported in a second bearing 61b provided on the fixed plate 61. This swiveling motion in turn causes an angular extension 63b of the rod 63 to move upward, in the direction indicated by the arrow f. This upward movement rotates the latching plate 48 about its pivot pin 48a in the upward direction, as represented by the arrow g, thus releasing the compressed mechanism 35 and allowing it to expand into the extended position. (The slot 48b in the latch plate 48, in conjunction with the compression spring 64 acting on the swivel rod extension 631:, permits the mechanism to be relatched and held securely in the folded position upon its retraction.)

At the same time that the unlatching of the mechanism 35 occurs, the counterclockwise motion, arrow e, of the extension 63a of the swivel rod 63 also causes a longitudinal movement, arrow h, of the coupled flat rod 67 which is guided by the bearing block 69. This in turn causes the terminal projection 710 of latch rod 71, which is pivoted to a fixed support 73, to swing clockwise, in the direction shown by arrow i. The movement of latch rod 71, in response to the longitudinal movement of the flat rod 67, swings away the latch pin extension 19a, in the direction indicated by arrow], and releases the catch 180 on the door 18, thus permitting it to drop down at the same time that the mechanism 35 is released for extension. (The arrangement of the terminal projection 71a of the latch rod 71, fitted within a slot 67a in the end of the flat rod 67 and biased by extension spring member 75, permits the door catch 18a, in similar fashion to the release linkage for the mechanism 35, to be relatched after release and securely held in position until the release linkage is again actuated.)

From the foregoing explanation, it will be seen that the press actuation of the pushbutton 22 located on the neck of the guitar drops the hinged door 18 concealing the gun within the sound box compartment 19 of the instrument, and concurrently releases the six-link mechanism 35 for rapid extension of the holstered gun and its delivery into an exposed, accessible position in front of the instrument.

While the present invention has been described in an illus trative embodiment utilizing a toy pistol for the concealed weapon, it will be readily apparent that, instead of a gun, a knife or other hand-held simulated weapon could be readily adapted therefor and carried in the holster portion of the mechanism.

What we claim is:

1. An amusement device comprising a toy musical stringed instrument of the type having a sound box portion such as a guitar, a concealed compartment formed in the sound box portion of said instrument, a simulated hand weapon such as a toy pistol or knife stored in said compartment, and means on said instrument for exposing and delivering said weapon to a position ready for use.

2. An amusement device in the form of a toy musical stringed instrument of the type having a sound box portion and a neck portion, as exemplified by a guitar, comprising a. a storage compartment formed in said sound box,

b. a door provided on the front face of said sound box and concealing said compartment when closed,

c. astorage and quick-release mechanism provided in said compartment, said compartment containing a simulated hand weapon such as a toy pistol, said mechanism in the first mode stowing said weapon within said concealed compartment, and in a second mode delivering said weapon to an exposed position outside said compartment and in front of said instrument where said weapon may be drawn and used, and

d. actuating means on said instrument for opening said door and substantially simultaneously converting said mechanism from said first mode to said second mode.

3. The amusement device as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that said actuating means is operated by a pushbutton located on said neck portion.

4. The amusement device as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that said storage and quick-release mechanism is comprised of a s rin -loaded six-link hinged assembly which is cocked to a f0 de position in said first mode, and in said second mode is released to expand into an extended position.

5. The amusement device as set forth in claim 3 further including a first latching means restraining said stowage and quick-release mechanism in said first mode and a second latching means for restraining said door in a closed position, and wherein said actuating means comprises a mechanical linkage operably connecting said pushbutton to respective releases on said first and second latching means. 

1. An amusement device comprising a toy musical stringed instrument of the type having a sound box portion such as a guitar, a concealed compartment formed in the sound box portion of said instrument, a simulated hand weapon such as a toy pistol or knife stored in said compartment, and means on said instrument for exposing and delivering said weapon to a position ready for use.
 2. An amusement device in the form of a toy musical striNged instrument of the type having a sound box portion and a neck portion, as exemplified by a guitar, comprising a. a storage compartment formed in said sound box, b. a door provided on the front face of said sound box and concealing said compartment when closed, c. a storage and quick-release mechanism provided in said compartment, said compartment containing a simulated hand weapon such as a toy pistol, said mechanism in the first mode stowing said weapon within said concealed compartment, and in a second mode delivering said weapon to an exposed position outside said compartment and in front of said instrument where said weapon may be drawn and used, and d. actuating means on said instrument for opening said door and substantially simultaneously converting said mechanism from said first mode to said second mode.
 3. The amusement device as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that said actuating means is operated by a pushbutton located on said neck portion.
 4. The amusement device as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that said storage and quick-release mechanism is comprised of a spring-loaded six-link hinged assembly which is cocked to a folded position in said first mode, and in said second mode is released to expand into an extended position.
 5. The amusement device as set forth in claim 3 further including a first latching means restraining said stowage and quick-release mechanism in said first mode and a second latching means for restraining said door in a closed position, and wherein said actuating means comprises a mechanical linkage operably connecting said pushbutton to respective releases on said first and second latching means. 